Time-impact fuse for hand grenades



AUS- 2, 1955 H. W. GREER 2,714,353

TIME-IMPACT FUSE FOR HAND GRENADES Filed Jan. 20, 1950 Howard W. EPEE'I TIME-MACT FUSE FOR HAND GRENADES Howard W. Greer, Daytona Beach, Fla. Application January 20, 1950, Serial No. 139,751

5 Claims. (Cl. 102-72) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described in the specification and claims may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to fuses for hand grenades and more particularly to a time-impact type of hand grenade fuse.

An object of the invention is a hand grenade fuse reliable in action and provided with a selection of either timedelay or impact tiring.

Another object of the invention is a hand grenade fuse extremely sensitive to impact.

Another object of the invention is a hand grenade having means whereby the fuse is provided with means permitting the fuse to become armed for impact tiring after it has reached a safe distance from the thrower.

The specic nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from the following description and drawings in which:

Fig. l is a sectional view of the fuse of this invention showing the fuse assembled to a grenade;

Fig. 2 is a view taken along line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the bouchon 1 is provided with the usual cap 2 integral with the handle 3 which is normally disengaged from the fuse when the grenade is thrown and releases the firing pin 4 to strike the primer cap 5 as is more fully described in Patent No. 2,412,636, to Frank Short, entitled Grenade Puse issued on December 17, 1946. The bouchon is threadedly fixed to the neck of the grenade 6 as at 7. rIhe reference numeral 8 indicates the explosive charge in the cavity of the grenade. The bottom of the bouchon has formed therein a recess 9 having a reduced portion 10. A booster 11 centrally supporting a primer cap 12 is fixed in the recess of said bottom. A spacer ring 13 in the reduced portion spaces a securing collar 14 from the booster. The securing collar 14 comprises two disks of powder indicated by the reference numerals 15 and 16. The disk 15 is provided with a tapered bore 16a which receives the prongs 17 of the tiring pin 18. The disk 16 has a hemispherical bore 19 in axial alignment with the tapered bore 16a. A ball 20 is releasably retained in the bore 16 by means of a bar seat 21 integral with the booster. The disk 15 is made of a relatively rapid burning composition, assuring even ignition of the disk 16 which has a lower burning rate. A tiring pin 18 is slidably xed in a bore 18a in the bouchon in alignment with the tapered bore 16a. A helical spring 22, positioned on said firing pin, having one end abutting a shoulder 23 of said tiring pin and its opposite end abutting a shoulder 23a formed in the bore 18a maintains the prongs 17 in firm contact with the ball 20 and prevents displacement of the ball until the grenade strikes the target, provided that the fuse is not first otherwise functioned. A bore 24 extending from the primer recess 5a to the reduced portion 10 of the recess 9 contains an instantaneous powder train 25. Another bore 26 parallel to, but spaced from the bore 24 extends from said recess 5a to a perforation 27 arent in the booster 11 contains a delay powder train 28. The lever 3 is normally maintained inoperative by means of a conventional safety pin 29 positioned in the bouchon and ears 3a of the lever. An arming pin 33 positioned in the bouchon and tiring pin 18 is withdrawn prior to throwing the grenade when it is desired to set the fuse for impact functioning. A guide pin 31 xed in the bouchon and passing through the slot 32 formed in the firing pin, keeps the firing pin in alignment with the booster primer when the n'ng pin is urged forward, under the influence of spring 22, to strike the booster primer.

To set the fuse for impact functioning the grenade body and lever are held in the hand of the thrower in the usual manner and the safety pin retaining the lever is withdrawn as well as safety pin engaging the ring pin. When the grenade is thrown the lever and grenade disengage and the striker strikes the primer cap iixed in the top of the bouchon. The primer cap ignites both the time delay train and the instantaneous train, the instantaneous train igniting the rapid burning disk of the securing collar 14 which in turn evenly ignites the slower burning disk of the collar which when consumed leaves the ball suspended between the tiring pin prongs 17 and the bar 1S. On impact the ball is unseated allowing the firing pin spring to urge the tiring pin downwardly, striking the primer in the booster which subsequently causes detonation of the grenade. In the event the impact firing mechanism fails to explode the grenade upon an impact, it will be exploded by the time tiring mechanism since the delay powder train 28 is always ignited when the striker 4 strikes the primer cap 5. lt is thus seen that the time tiring mechanism will always explode the grenade a predetermined time after ignition of primer cap 5, thereby as'- suring explosion of the grenade regardless of functioning of the impact tiring mechanism. If it is desired the fuse may be set for the usual time delay functioning by simply not removing the arming pin. In this case the time delay train ignites the booster in the usual manner to cause detonation of the grenade.

l claim:

l. In a hollow body forming a hand grenade, a timeimpact fuse comprising a bouchon fixed in said body and having a recessed bottom, a first primer received in a recess formed in the upper end of said bouchon, a spring actuated striker pivotally supported on said bouchon and releasable when said grenade is thrown to lire said first primer, a booster received in said recessed bottom and supporting a second primer centrally in the upper surface thereof, a spring loaded tiring pin axially slidable in said bouchon in alinement with said second primer, a combustible securing collar received in said recessed bottom and concentric about said tiring pin, a spacer ring in said recessed bottom interposed between said booster and said collar, a bar seat integral with said booster and bridging said second primer, a ball releasably spacing said tiring pin and said second primer and engaging said bar seat, said ball being releasably supported on said bar seat by said combustible collar, an instantaneous powder train connecting said first primer and said collar, said firing pin maintaining said ball in engagement with said bar seat upon consumption of said collar, said ball being dislodged at impact to release said firing pin for striking engagement with said second primer, and an elongated time delay train in said bouchon connecting said first primer with said booster.

2. The time-impact fuse as described in claim l wherein a manually retractable arming pin is positioned in said bouchon and in a perforation in said firing pin, said pin being withdrawn when it is desired to cause the fuse to function upon impact.

3. The time-impact fuse as described in claim l wherein said securing collar comprises two integral disks of combustilemat'eriali th'erst of said disks having a rapid Y bur-ning r-ate-to assure even ignition' of-the seeondof said disks and having a centralperforation receiving the tapered end of the firing pin, the second of said disks havii'ga slower' burning`- rate and providedwitliafli'emispherical# bore opened at ifs-top side in-a1ignmentwith tHe s'aid" perforation and housing said b'a-ll,`V said ball suspendedentirelyby -saidring pi'n' aridfsaidi bar 'seat=i`1p`onY combustion-` of' s'aidv collar.

' 4f. I-na combination time andI impactI fuZ'e'; a hollow bodycontaining an'A explosive charge, abooster' in said body in= detonati'n'g relationj with saidv chargefringpin meansl inL said `body axially movable from a' rstf locked positionz to a second positionito'detona'te'- said booster,r a ball comprising' in'pactl dislodgeable means"normallyY maintaining; saidringi pin' inlocked position', a primer in`v said body, al rst" powderY train; comprising an'- axially' elongatedl instantaneouspowdr'charge, a slow burning' chargel received-4 inV a recess? concentric-ab`outthe lower end o't` said ring' pinn and in axially spaced overlying 20 relation withfsaid' booster, saidinstantaneousp'owdr charge lying in contiguous relation withl said pri'meron one end and vsaid slow-burning charge on its other end,

therebeing-a-semi-spherical, cavity formed axiallyV inthe lower face of said slow-burning charge receiving said ball, said ball having its upper surface engaging the lower end of said firing pin, and means within said cavity supporting said ball out of contact with said booster to irnmobilize said pin, said ball being dislodged on impact after consumption of saidsl-ow-burning charge, to release! said`1i'riigpinfl for'r'ovenient into said? booster to detonate the sarne.

5. The combination" fil'zeof claim' 4, and a second delay powde'ntrain'cornprising an axially elongated' powder charge extending between said primer and said booster and transversely spac'dfro'msadinstantaneous powder charge.'

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,005,053'V s 'chlfer V V V v June 18, 1935 2,243,621 Denoix- Y .A Y V May 27, 1941- 2,4l2,636 Short Dec. 17, 1946 

